


A Fork In The Road

by levitatethis



Category: Heroes - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Reality, Angst, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-18
Updated: 2010-05-18
Packaged: 2017-10-09 13:23:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/87944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levitatethis/pseuds/levitatethis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Could it really have been so different?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fork In The Road

Chandra sends letters from America detailing his slow progress searching for evolved humans. Mohinder reads each one at least five times, wondering if his father’s insistence on traditional mail is an attempt to make his work appear less fruitless. After all, an email each day would only serve to highlight what is _not_ happening most of the time.

His letters offer only tiny scraps about the day-to-day life in America, his focus being mostly on people he _should_ be meeting, with no such luck. Mohinder admires Chandra’s perseverance, but can hear the increasing desperation that limps off the pages. He wishes he could be in New York to keep his father’s spirit up, yet every time he thinks about mentioning it he sees Chandra’s embarrassed (though appreciative) expression trying to be brave (not disappointed) and stoic in his resolve.

Deep down inside, Mohinder suspects his father has hit a wall and further progress requires a new mind to enter the mix; _his_ mind. But how can he approach such a subject without pushing away the man he has admired and sought affection from his whole life?

What Mohinder keeps very quiet (never mentioning in his replies) is the whole other life he is piecing together based on throw away conversational sentences Chandra shares—from an interesting fare to a frequented coffee shop, from a lonely lunch to an unexpected conversation. In Mohinder’s minds eye he sees himself there, experiencing it all firsthand. It’s exciting, but as time goes by he misses his father more and more, and he’s sure Chandra is on the verge of coming back to India. It’s the chance to start a new adventure, _together_, and it’s all within Mohinder’s grasp.

One day a letter arrives mentioning a meeting with a new, possibly evolved human, named Gabriel Gray.

He is a watchmaker (which piques Mohinder’s curious interest since he has never known anyone in that profession) and apparently around the same age as Mohinder (a bit younger, in fact). Chandra and Gabriel hit it off almost right from the start and Mohinder would be lying if he said he doesn’t feel a twinge of jealousy. Gabriel, it seems, with his hunger for knowledge, appreciation of Chandra’s work, and potential carrier of _the_ genetic marker, sounds like the son Chandra always (secretly) wanted.

The one problem is there’s no proof of Gabriel’s ability. Mohinder could use that to plant seeds of doubt, to succumb to his own more base side, but he doesn’t. Instead he encourages his father to work harder with Gabriel, to look closer and seek out the unexpected, going beyond the obvious. In the end, Mohinder wants to believe in Chandra’s work and Gabriel’s potential.

Intuitive Aptitude.

The named ability jumps out at Mohinder. Reading the explanation, it sounds brilliantly complex and fascinating. Mohinder loves that it isn’t a showy ability, rather one ruled by a cerebral quality. It’s subtle and powerful, and he can no longer remain on the sidelines as life—_a real one_—is coming into full bloom on the other side of the world; a life he should be part of.

Two weeks before Christmas Mohinder makes a surprise visit.

Chandra is shocked but thrilled by his appearance. They spend the night discussing Chandra’s research and Mohinder’s theories. Mohinder feels like he is finally where he is suppose to be. The next day he gets his first glimpse of Gabriel.

He’s taller than Mohinder imagined and has a rather imposing form made all the more pronounced with the combination of dark eyes, thick eyebrows and lips pulled into a tight line. He scrutinizes Mohinder quietly, not sharing any personal information beyond his diagnosed ability; preferring to deal with Chandra instead.

It goes on like this for a week during which Mohinder tries to get a read on the man. But Gabriel appears difficult to categorize. Some days he is all carefully combed hair, sweater vests and khakis; other days he is jeans, a t-shirt and bed head. Sometimes he spouts sarcastic jabs in the middle of a conversation between Mohinder and Chandra, and other times he ignores Mohinder all together, only acknowledging him when trying to assert himself as being the superior being. Christmas comes and goes with muted cheer.

Then one afternoon, Chandra takes off to meet another person on his ever-growing list.

Left alone together, Mohinder decides to put an end to the awkward tension by trying to engage Gabriel with a handful of different subjects, ranging from his ability to growing up in New York, favourite books to places in the city he loves that no on else would know about. By the time evening approaches they are both laughing and smiling—and Mohinder sees the flash of recognition in Gabriel’s eyes revealing he knows Mohinder is the one who guided Chandra in figuring out his ability.

A friendship forms, one that gives Mohinder pause while Chandra grows frustrated again beneath the weight of stagnant research. In those tense times, Mohinder is grateful for Gabriel’s companionship and his far better understanding of what they teeter on the brink of, something Chandra doesn’t quite get. New Year’s finds Chandra frowning contemplatively at the tv while revelers crowd Times Square, and Mohinder and Gabriel, next to him on the sofa, clink their glasses together, laughing over embarrassing moments.

There’s something else, however. On more than one occasion, Mohinder’s gaze lingers on Gabriel who is reading or hooked up to one of Chandra’s machines. Mohinder takes in the firm lines of his form and the angles of his face as his mood shifts from thoughtful to amused to annoyed. Gabriel’s voice is a rich contrast of growling consonants and light vowels, and hearing it always perks up Mohinder’s ears. When Gabriel stands next to him, Mohinder instinctively leans closer, pushing into the melting space between them.

He likes Gabriel. A lot. And even if Gabriel had no ability to speak of, Mohinder would still be smitten.

It is another thing Mohinder keeps that to himself. Besides the obvious question of Chandra’s reaction to the news (he may understand the ‘live to work’ life of a scientist, but he is also set on Mohinder meeting a nice, smart woman to marry and begin a family with), Mohinder has no idea what Gabriel’s feelings are. They have never discussed their past romantic inclinations and Mohinder is not sure if, or when, he’ll be ready to broach the subject. In any case, Gabriel has given no indication of looking at Mohinder in a romantic light. So (for now) the issue is moot.

Until, one afternoon, Peter Petrelli knocks on the door.

He proves to be the (somewhat haphazard) answer to Chandra’s non-denominational prayers. At first, none of them can tell if Peter’s ability is the same as Gabriel’s, but with carefully conducted tests Mohinder is eventually able to label him an Empath. It is similar to Gabriel’s, but where Gabriel’s ability is active (requiring him to figure out how something works before being able to do it himself), Peter just does it (with no initial sense at how to control it).

It takes awhile for Gabriel to accept Peter into their fold. Mohinder warms to him quickly, as does Chandra (who is increasingly distracted by wanting to add more people to the list), but Gabriel regards him suspiciously until Mohinder pulls him aside one night and tells him to give Peter a chance. They have their first real fight (and for a good few minutes Mohinder thinks Gabriel is going to turn his back on all of them and lash out on his own) but Gabriel eventually relents, swallowing his pride and following Mohinder’s lead. With Gabriel properly on board, things _do_ change.

Chandra jokingly refers to them as the ‘Three Musketeers’ and Mohinder enjoys observing Gabriel and Peter’s progress, figuring out what direction to steer them in and trying to nail the biological center point for where it all began. It’s a rush.

Slowly, but surely, the dynamics shift again.

Peter and Gabriel, understandably, grow closer, and Mohinder knows his lack of an ability will always be a wall between him and them. He tries to remain indifferent when Peter and Gabriel get caught up in one of their own conversations, the ones he might as well be invisible for. He tries not to care when they laugh together loudly at the table or exchange knowing looks when he or Chandra are speaking. He tries…

One night Chandra wakes Mohinder up with news from India of a sick aunt. Chandra plans to head there the next day for an indefinite amount of time and leaves the decision up to Mohinder whether to join him or continue in New York with their research.

It’s a long night.

When Mohinder breaks the news the next day, Peter pulls him into a warm hug and tells him to rush back soon. Gabriel gives him a strange look and shakes his hand goodbye.

The flight to India feels endless.

Life does not go back to normal. Mohinder goes through the motions, but his mind constantly drifts to Gabriel, when it was only the two of them, and to the distant way he acted when Mohinder left. Peter emails him regularly and though Mohinder still feels some jealousy for the connection between Peter and Gabriel, he is thankful for news from the States, which is uninformative enough to make him smile, by not putting unnecessary images in his head.

Gabriel never writes, and when Peter tells Mohinder that Gabriel says hi, Mohinder isn’t sure if it’s the truth or if Peter is simply being polite. Confusion turns Mohinder’s brain and he figures avoiding the mess by _not_ going back is the easiest answer.

Months pass.

Chandra prepares to follow a lead in his work to London and Mohinder considers joining him until he receives an email from Peter telling him there’s been a falling out with Gabriel. It’s not that they are no longer on speaking terms, but there is now tension between them, so much so that Peter doesn’t know if Gabriel will do something stupid, something he can’t take back. Mohinder’s heart and brain work as one (after the hurt of picturing a lovers quarrel abates), telling him to return to New York as a friend to them both—or at least Peter.

He is surprised to find Gabriel waiting for him at the airport. They exchange cordial pleasantries, but remain silent otherwise until they are back in Chandra’s apartment, alone together for the first time in ages. Even without speaking, all the old feelings Mohinder has tried to ignore come flooding back with a vengeance. If he had it in him to throw ration out the window and do what he felt, he would have an answer, for good or bad. This _not_ knowing, this unrequited nightmare, is too much.

They stand around in a tense silence and Mohinder is struck by the way Gabriel purposely avoids eye contact, looking everywhere else. It appears a hopeless cause and eventually Mohinder walks over to Gabriel with the intent of opening the front door and showing him out. He is surprised when Gabriel blocks the motion by leaning against the door with his right shoulder and stares down at the floor. Mohinder looks at him expectantly.

“You were gone a long time,” Gabriel says quietly, a hint of irritation in his voice.

“I’m sure you and Peter were too busy to notice.” Mohinder gives him a fake smile, trying to make light of the situation.

Gabriel looks at him with dark, narrowed eyes, but when he speaks, the insistent tone of his voice sounds confessional. “I noticed. I always notice when you…”

Mohinder’s heart races as Gabriel stares at the door and take a deep breath.

“Are you here to stay?” Gabriel finally asks.

It is the definitive moment Mohinder has been searching for, the crux of the point, and Mohinder needs to know the truth once and for all. He takes a small step into Gabriel’s space. “Do you want me to stay?”

Gabriel’s eyes meet his and a flurry of emotions flickers behind them. Then Gabriel is raising his left hand to Mohinder’s neck while stepping closer. Mohinder feels the heat from Gabriel’s lips, an inch away from his, but he waits for Gabriel to finish what they started. Time stops and Mohinder brings both hands to Gabriel’s waist, dragging his fingers up below the t-shirt to lightly graze the skin below. The touch jolts Gabriel forward and he claims Mohinder’s lips with a heated kiss.

It is everything Mohinder wanted and nothing he expected. It is the deep breath in the middle of a raging storm he didn’t know he was caught in. They curve into each other so exactly there is no point trying to pick apart where one ends and the other begins. They don’t waste time on conversation that night, not on questions already answered or clarifications already qualified.

They fuck slow and hard, coming up for air only when necessary.

For three days they don’t leave the apartment, rarely stepping out of the bedroom. In the isolated space recreated as _theirs_, they lie together, discovering each other’s bodies (complete with personal preferences) and reintroducing themselves. While making a mess of lunch in bed, Gabriel confides his childhood dream of being a superhero and Mohinder utters the self-appointed name (off of Gabriel’s favourite watch), _Sylar_, with reverence. One day Mohinder will share his own superhero role-playing fantasy.

He revels in the conversations he has missed with Gabriel, rolling his tongue over the words that have come to be their own secret language. Naked (or half dressed), full, with Gabriel gently (teasingly) nudging his thigh with his foot, and with a shared grin between them, Mohinder feels remarkably happy. _Content_.

With Gabriel curved against Mohinder’s side, his head on Mohinder’s chest and hand on his stomach, Mohinder muses, “I’m going to have to call Peter at some point.”

“Mmmm.”

“You never told me why you two were fighting.”

Gabriel shifts to rest his weight on one elbow and looks down at Mohinder with one quirked eyebrow. “He said I was an idiot for letting you go without telling you how I felt.”

Mohinder reaches up and rests his right hand along the back of Gabriel’s neck, teasing his fingers through the tufts of hair. “I have to say, I agree with Peter.”

Leaning down, Gabriel murmurs, “Let’s keep that between us,” drawing him into a deep kiss…

…

Mohinder awakens with a gasp.

The dreamscaper, Miriam, lets go of his hand and sits back in her chair. She gives him a moment to recover, during which a frightening collision of shocking thoughts and realizations ricochet through his brain, rendering him speechless.

“The human mind is truly wondrous,” she eventually says. “It can see a multiplicity of possibilities, most of which our conscious state is never aware of. With parallel universes and the potential for rips in space and time, realities—and by that account, possibilities—can bleed into one another.”

Mohinder fixes her in a demanding gaze. “What did you to do me?”

“Nothing,” is her calm reply. “This was all you. I simply opened the door.”

“No, I—I wouldn’t.” Mohinder struggles to make sense of what he has seen and all its implications.

“Of course you would,” Miriam reassures him (which only makes him recoil further). “We are complicated creatures and answering to ourselves can be as much a punishment as it is a revelation.”

“And what am I suppose to do with this?” Mohinder raises his voice as he stands up and glares at her.

Casually Miriam rises to her feet and squeezes his arm. “Only you can answer that,” she says and turns around, exiting the caravan.

Mohinder closes his eyes and tries to calm his fraying nerves. The sounds of the carnival ring in his ears.


End file.
